Margaret Thatcher: The autobiography

MARGARET THATCHER is the towering figure of late-twentieth-century British politics. No other prime minister of modern times has sought to change Britain and its place in the world as radically as she did. This is the story of her remarkable life in her own words – the definitive account of an extraordinary politician, published in a single volume for the first time.

She writes candidly about the formation of her character and values, and the experiences that propelled her to the very top in a man’s world. Beginning with a touching account of her upbringing in Grantham, Lincolnshire, she goes on to describe her Oxford years, marriage to Denis, and entry into Parliament at a time when there were no more than a handful of women MPs. Rising through the ranks to Education Secretary and then Leader of the Opposition, she led the Conservative Party to a historic victory in the 1979 general election, becoming Britain’s first woman prime minister.

The heart of the book is a riveting first-hand portrait of the events and personalities of her eleven years in power. She recalls the triumphs and the critical moments of her premiership – the Falklands War, the miners’ strike, the Brighton bomb, the Westland Affair and her unprecedented three election victories. Her judgements of the men and women she encountered, whether world statesmen or Cabinet colleagues, are astonishingly frank. She is lavish with praise where it is due, devastating with criticism when it is not. The book reaches a gripping climax with an hour-by-hour description of her dramatic final days in office.

Margaret Thatcher’s compelling autobiography stands as a powerful testament to her extraordinary legacy.